Explainer: Risks of LNG tanker explosion after Strait of Hormuz attack

While the LNG industry has experienced accidents at onshore facilities, there has never been a catastrophic LNG cargo-tank explosion on a commercial carrier at sea. However, recent targeting of energy shipping vessels in conflict zones, such as the Ukraine and Iran wars, has amplified these concerns.

This incident marks the second time this year an LNG vessel has been involved in a war-related attack. In March, the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz caught fire in the Mediterranean after being struck by Ukrainian naval drones, forcing its crew to abandon ship.

LNG is natural gas cooled to approximately -162 degrees Celsius, reducing its volume by about 600 times for economical transport by ship. It is stored in heavily insulated cryogenic tanks on specialized carriers with double hulls. A small amount of LNG naturally evaporates during transport, known as boil-off gas, which is often captured and used as fuel.

The primary risks associated with LNG arise if it leaks, warms into a gas, mixes with air in the correct proportion, and encounters an ignition source. To mitigate these risks, LNG ships are equipped with multiple safety features, including double-hull construction, containment barriers, gas detection systems, pressure-relief equipment, and emergency shutdown systems. Industry experts suggest that a fire in an engine room does not automatically lead to an explosion, but the risk would increase if the fire spread to cargo systems, damaged containment tanks, or caused a significant LNG leak. One industry source indicated that if the Al Rekayyat was not subjected to further attacks, it was unlikely to explode.